What it is
Fresh, unaged cheeses set by acid or rennet — ricotta was literally invented to use up the whey. Mostly real food; check commodity cream cheese for gums.
Why your biology objects
Acid- or rennet-coagulated casein with its protein, fat and calcium intact — cottage cheese is notably high-protein, ricotta captures the whey proteins thrift would otherwise waste. The footnote is the gum stabilisers (guar, carob, xanthan) in mass-market cream-cheese tubs.